1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card edge connector, and particularly to a card edge connector having a configuration which allows for the movement of at least one row of contacts thereof for enlarging a reception space for a card edge of a complementary expansion card thereby enabling almost zero insertion force (ZIF) upon insertion of the complementary expansion card.
2. The Prior Art
A card edge connector interconnects at least one expansion card and a motherboard of a personal computer for transmitting electrical signals therebetween. The card edge connector and the complementary expansion card each contain a relatively large amount of contacts for electrical engagement with each other. However, a relatively strong insertion resistance exists due to the large number of contacts thus requiring an assembler to apply a substantial force during insertion and withdrawal of the expansion card. To facilitate the installation and removal of an expansion card, card edge connectors are equipped with a zero insertion force feature such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,047,782; 4,629,270; 4,480,884; 4,705,338; 4,863,395; 4,648,668; 4,498,722; 4,133,592; and 3,982,807.
All of these card edge connectors utilize a driving means to perform a horizontal or vertical drain function in order to loosen/tighten the engagement between the contacts of the card edge connector and the related complementary card. However, some disadvantages exist in the connectors disclosed in the above patents. For example, some of the card edge connectors are provided with too many components which makes them too cumbersome to be easily assembled such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,648,668 and 4,629,270. Another disadvantage is that the loosened and tightened status control between confronting contacts includes too many driving members linked together thereby complicating the manufacturing process thereof such as the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,782. A further disadvantage is that the required insertion force of some of the connectors is still too large such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,480,884 and 4,648,668.